Overview
- No. 2 Ohio State (12-1) faces No. 10 Miami (11-2) in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal on Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium, airing on ESPN with Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Quint Kessenich on the call.
- Ohio State’s availability report lists 12 players, with four ruled out including freshman WR Quincy Porter; starting RG Tegra Tshabola is doubtful, with Gabe VanSickle and Joshua Padilla mentioned as options.
- Miami’s initial report shows no new absences beyond those out vs. Texas A&M (Damari Brown, Malik Bryant, Daylyn Upshaw), and DL Donta Simpson is doubtful, leaving the Hurricanes largely healthy.
- Analysts highlight Miami’s defensive front—led by Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor—after seven sacks vs. Texas A&M, noting Ohio State allowed five sacks in its loss to Indiana despite an otherwise elite offense.
- Ohio State brings a top-ranked defense (8.2 points and 129.1 pass yards allowed per game) into Dallas, enters as roughly a 9.5-point favorite, and arrives after a first-round bye; Miami advanced by beating Texas A&M 10-3 in its CFP debut.